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VIVEKACŪDAMAŅI
think of the body alone as the ātman. Then giving up the sense of 'I' in the body, one thinks of the prāna as the ātman, and so on. The identification of the ātman recedes successively and this is stated for the easy comprehension of the learners. By the same order, is the abandonment of desire in respect of first the body, wealth, sons, sense-objects etc. When it is said that desire itself should be abandoned what needs to be said of the abandonment of the sense of I'? Then comes the abandonment of the sense of 'l' in respect of the gross body and the desires pertaining to it. Then the sense of 'I' and the desire resulting from it should be abandoned, in accordance with the methods detailed in the context of Pañcakośavivarana, in the subtle body compacted of the prānamaya, manomaya and vijñānamaya-sarīras. For every one is intensely attached to the 'I'. One always says to oneself: "May I not not be; may I always be': mä na bhūvam hi bhūyāsam: This desire is difficult to destroy as for everybody the sense of the 'I' persists in the gross body and the desire pertaining to it is difficult to destroy. When the sense of 'l' is gradually abandoned, as a result of discrimination born of reasoning in the gross and subtle bodies, the sense of 'l' never arises in the ānandamayakośa with its two ,limbs of priya and moda54a as by reason of its having parts and subject to upādhi, it is ascertained to be impermanent.
Thus, determining the five sheaths as being the anātman, one should remain as Brahman extolled in the Vedas.
nigamagadita-kirtim: nigamaih: by the Vedas.
kirtim: The extollation of Brahman in the Vedas relates to its sarvajñatva (omniscience), sarvasaktatva (omnipotence), sarvaprāņiprāņayitytva (making all creatures breathe), sarvapraśāstytva (ruling over everything), 'viśistasagunadhisthanatva (being th stratum of saguna Brahman), saccidānandaghanatva (being compacted of sat, cit and ānanda), vāñmanasāgocaratva (being beyond the reach of speech and mind), nirädhāratva (being without support), nirguņatva (being qualityless), nişkalatva (being without parts) nirañjanatva (being unattached), sükşmatamatva (being most subtle), nitya-suddha-mukta-buddha-satyānanda-svabhävatva (being eternally pure and free, and of the nature of pure intelligence, the true and blissful).
nityam ānandamūrtim; that which is eternal and blissful. By this the ānandamayakośa too is negated as it is not eternal.
54a The reference to any object priya arises when it is simply seen, moda arises when it is got and pramoda when it is enjoyed. The two parts of anandamayakośa are priya and moda. Whatever has parts is not finally true.
